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Effingham moves ahead with new jail

Rendering of new Effingham jail

Effingham County commissioners agreed unanimously Tuesday night to move forward with detailed plans and financing for a $16.4 million jail that would have 332 beds.

Commissioners agreed to hire bond counsel and underwriters, for an estimated cost of $306,000, to set up a lease-purchase agreement to pay for the jail out of special-purpose, local-option sales tax dollars.

The deal would allow the county to build and start using the new jail while the sales tax dollars are being collected.

They agreed to spend $556,000 to move into the next phase of the project, which includes detailed design, construction documents and a guaranteed maximum price.

Construction could start in late August, with the first phase – a new housing wing, parking and renovation of 128 beds in the prison – done in a year.

Building the whole project would take 22 months, said Ryan Price, vice president of Rives E. Worrell Co.

The 74,000-square-foot facility would have 332 beds, including 128 beds that would be renovated in the prison that’s adjacent to the existing jail on Ga. 21.

Current price estimates put the jail $15,500 below budget, with possibilities for cutting the cost even more as plans continue, said Adam Kobek, project manager for the county.

The new jail would not require any additional personnel to operate, Kobek said.

On another topic Tuesday night, commissioners agreed unanimously to raise the sanitation fee from $180 to $200 a year.

Part of the increase is to pay for garbage disposal and part is for the new recycling program. “We would need to increase the fee slightly whether we recycle or not,” said County Administrator David Crawley.